Welcome to the Real World
by Meggy11
Summary: This story begins from the start of Breaking Dawn 2/just after Bella is turned. Bella has awakened, but instead of being perfect, she is just like any other newborn (as described in the books). This is a more realistic, and darker version of what would actually happen after Bella was turned.
1. Chapter 1

She opened her eyes, now red as the blood that she dreamed of. Edward was the first thing she saw. He looked as if he were in shock, or in awe of her. She new that becoming a vampire was supposed to make her look perfect, and she supposed she was now more beautiful than he had ever seen her. However when Bella looked at her husband she did not feel awe. When she was human he had looked so perfect, but now with too perfect vision she could see his flawless skin, perfect features, and deadly looks, yet she felt nothing for him. Maybe this was just a side effect of just being turned. Looking around the room she saw detail she could never have imagined. She could see the light glimmer of Edward's skin, even though there was little light in the room. The dark did not bother her, she could see things she wasn't supposed to see now.

She saw Edward move towards her slightly, and out stretch his hand to her. She walked over to him, reminding herself that she loved him. Yet everything from before her change seemed murky, as if she was seeing someone else's memories, with no personal attachment or emotion felt towards them.

"Your so beautiful" Edward whispered. If she were human she might not have even heard his words, but she could hear so much more, feel so much more, physically that is. She could feel the complete perfection of his skin, yet she didn't feel the wonder that used to engulf her every time she was in Edward's presence. However she still wasn't fully aware of what was happening, still feeling very disorientated, and not used to her new body. Or the burning. When she first woke up it felt like a minor annoyance, something on the edge of her mind, the tip of her tongue, but as she listened to the lack of blood flow from her husband, and thought of the colour of her own eyes she quickly realised what was consuming her thoughts. Blood. She wanted it, she needed it. Edward seemed to recognize her expression, the sudden panic clearly written across her face.

"You need to get your thirst under control," he again whispered to her.

Bella looked up at him, with desperation and frustration.

"Yeah, you need to hunt." He said with concern.

Together they ran into the woods, still just the two of them. Yet Bella stood away from Edward, and had yet to say a single word to him. Edward remembered the complicated the ordeal of changing was, he had been told by every other Cullen how Bella would need time to adjust, but somehow he had gotten it into his head that because Bella already understood the vampiric world, and understood what was going to happen her, and had practically begged to be changed that she would be just like her human self once she was made immortal. Again Edward found himself wishing that he could read Bella's mind, it was a gift most of the time, but it also caused Edward much distress and frustration, especially as Bella wasn't exactly known for sharing what was on her mind.

Like most newborns Bella was quick to pick up on hunting skills, and after taking down a dear with little assistance, she was already using her senses to zone in on her next victim. She had forgotten her disgust towards blood, and Edward found himself almost missing the girl who had almost fainted at a finger prick in Biology class.

_She's definitely a shield, wonder how he's going to explain that one to her, as well as the fact that her daughter, who she hasn't even asked about yet, is growing at an incredible speed, and that her former best friend who probably hates her now has imprinted on her daughter who is barely a few days old._

Jasper's rather snarky thoughts cut through Edward's mind. He was rather in tune with all the Cullen's, and easily picked up on what they where thinking. At first this had infuriated a few of them, but now they had become accustomed. Edward new that Jasper disliked newborns due to his past, that only Edward understood, but he was still hurt that Jasper had so little regard for Bella. Edward had asked Jasper to follow him and Bella for a little while, in hopes that he could help her remain calm during her first hunt as a vampire, but it seemed that she was also unaffected by his gift. Carlisle had suspected that she would be a shield, and had warned Edward, who was glad in a way that she would have a talent, but not one worth killing for. Vampires such as Alice, and Edward himself had to always watch their backs, as rare gifts were sought after by many, including the Volturi, and they had a tense enough relation with the Volturi without added pressure. This was one of the reasons that the Cullens had decided that Renesme was to remain a secret. If anybody asked, she was a human orphan the Cullens had taken pity on. They could also blame the constant wolf presence as mistrust towards the vampires in relation to taking care of a human child.

_Woah, calm down there Edward, I can feel your anger from here. Thinking about Jacob again? Guess you thought he'd stop being a nuisance once Bella was turned._

Jasper had always been the best at telepathic communication with Edward. He understood that if he could feel Edward's emotions, then Edward would be close enough to hear his thoughts. It was true though, Edward had finally thought Jacob would no longer be a problem, yet he had once again become a complication. At least he wasn't in love with Bella anymore, he had always feared that Bella would realize that Jacob was a far better match for any human, and after all the hurt Edward had caused Bella, he often thought she would just leave and run off into the sunset with Jacob. Edward sneered at the thought. Now however, he had Bella all for himself, and he would finally be able to be with his mate forever, or so he thought.

He felt Jasper's presence disappear, and his attention was once again directed towards Bella, who seemed to have picked up on a new scent. She suddenly took off at lightning speed. It took Edward a few seconds to pick up on the same scent, newborns were always quicker and stronger. The sweet scent of _human_ blood filled his nose, and with eyes widening in alarm he took after Bella at full speed.

He had always been the fastest of the Cullens, but not even he could match the speed of a newborn. Luckily for Edward, Bella hesitated before attacking the vogue human, who was rock climbing alone, dangerously far away from human civilization. Edward cursed himself for not checking the area properly before taking Bella out, he had simply presumed that no one would have strayed this far into the woods.

"Bella stop" he screamed after her, as she once again started running towards the man climbing a cliff face.

"I can help you" he said slowly, and he saw a calmness wash over Bella as she stopped to face him. Edward relaxed, it looked as if Bella had realised her mistake, and she started to crouch as if she were about to leave, but to Edwards surprise she launched herself into the air, still very much in the pursuit of human blood. He scrambled after her desperately, the human didn't stand a chance against any vampire, especially a thirsty newborn. Bella easily reached her target before Edward, and in one smooth motion she pulled back his head, and bit into his neck, while holding on to the cliff with one hand. In less than a minute Edward had reached Bella, and he pulled her off the man. While Bella was strong, she did not have enough power to hold her weight as well as a human while fighting of another vampire at the same time. The three fell a short distance before slamming into ridge sticking out of the cliff. Bella quickly recovered, and turned towards her victim, his blood still the only thing on her mind. Edward however understood her nature, and had already grabbed the now unconscious man, and was making his way towards the Cullen house as fast as he could. Letting out a scream of surprise and frustration, Bella turned to follow her prey. Edward only had a short head start, but if he could make it close enough to the house Jasper would be able to pick up on his desperation, and with the help of the rest of his coven Edward would be able to control Bella.

"I'm just curious as to why the wolf pack hasn't come to talk abou-" Jasper's sentence cut off as he sensed extreme panic coming from the woods outside the house. Instantly realising the probable cause of such intense emotion Jasper moved to exit the house, motioning for the others to follow.

"STOP BELLA" a distressed Edward yelled at the confused Cullens starring at the bleeding man in his arms. Carlisle quickly took the man from Edward, knowing that blood was still tempting to individuals in his coven. Suddenly a ferocious looking Bella tore through the woods and seeing that her prey had again been pulled from her grasp she lunged at the closest thing. Emmet quickly responded to the attack, and with the help of Jasper, who could feel the uncontrolled anger of every newborn coming from Bella. Eventually the two vampires managed to subdue Bella, and held her in place while she calmed down.

After a few moments Jasper started to feel the anger recede, to be replaced with shock and then horror. Remorse however was not present.

"Can't you calm her down" came an alarmed voice.

"I can feel her emotions, but can't control them Alice." Jasper turned to face Alice, and then Edward. "I told you so" he said in a harsh tone. With one last disdain filled glance at Bella, Jasper ran into the woods. Alice went to follow him, but Edward put up an arm to block her path.

"I think he needs some time." He said in a quiet voice. He then approached Bella slowly "are you okay Bella?". Blood red eyes met golden ones, and she quickly shook her head.

"He's going to be fine, a little confused, but fine" Carlisle's voice cut in, as he returned from the house, where the man was now resting, "Now as for you Bella, we already have a room prepared for you upstairs, I think its best if you have a shower" he gestured towards he blood covered mouth "and then get some rest. It's been a big day for you, don't worry, we all made mistakes as newborns, and even after that the thirst is still hard to control." As usual Carlisle's positive words were accompanied by a warm smile. Bella nodded and followed Carlisle to her room. She quickly arrived there, and as Edward went to follow her in she stopped him "I want to be alone" she said, with her anger returning. She then slammed the door, and ripped off her clothes, not caring as the expensive fabric and stitch work was ruined. She turned on the water in the shower, determined to drown out the conversation she could hear happening down stairs, her thoughts still mostly focused on the exquisite taste of human blood. Carlisle had reassured her that she would be able to control her thirst, and would adjust to animal blood, but what if she didn't want to? She was a vampire now, drinking human blood was the most natural thing in the world for her, and she didn't plan on ever giving that up.

Jacob watched in horror as a blood covered Bella moved upstairs. He new seeing her as a bloodsucker would be difficult, but he hadn't expected to have been confronted by her true nature so quickly. He mentally scolded himself for thinking of her as just another vampire, but seeing her with red eyes, and the blood of an innocent man smeared over her face made it hard for him to think of her as the same girl he'd thought he'd been in love with. Of course he understood now that it had always been about Nessie. He smiled at the thought, and looked down at the bundle of joy in his arms. She giggled as he pulled a funny face, and then pretended to throw her up in the air. Of course he was far too conscious of her safety to actually throw her, even if he could easily catch her with his superhuman speed. The rest of the Cullen family started to pile into the living room, minus Jasper who had yet again stormed off. Jacob did not understand why he was so touchy about Bella becoming a vampire, seeing as he was one himself. Of course no one had explained why he hated newborns, but he didn't want to push any of them, technically he hadn't even been invited into the Cullen household, but rather had turned up with an overnight bag and dumped himself on the couch with no intention of leaving.

An awkward silence filled the room, and Jacob soon realised he was the cause of it. "I'm not leaving, I should be here for this discussion too." He said stubbornly, making his point by gracelessly sitting down on a chair in the corner of the room.

None of the Cullens chose to argue with him, instead continuing to tolerate his presence, as they had been doing since Bella had gone into labour.

"Hey Edward don't worry, she's just not herself yet, all newborns are like this, she'll get back to her regular self in no time." Emmet stated, clapping Edward on the back. The other Cullens nodded their agreement, aside from Edward, who continued to stare at a particularly interesting spot on the floor.


	2. Adjustments

**Adjustments **

Over the next few days Bella was accompanied by at least three of the Cullens on every hunt, and checks for humans were conducted before Bella ever left the house. There was one conversation however that all the Cullens were very nervous about, Renesme. Before Bella could meet her she would have to have her blood lust under control, but the main concern of Cullens, plus Jacob, who seemed to have become another permanent addition to the household, was that Bella had yet to pay much attention to her daughter, or anyone in general. She had asked if Renesme was okay, and had since not mentioned her again. Bella also refused to speak to Edward, and in the first week of her being a vampire her only words to him remained "I want to be alone". This was clearly having a disastrous effect on Edward, who only smiled at Nessie, and even this was become rarer. The only other emotion he showed was anger towards Jacob, who he had not forgiven for imprinting on his daughter. Secretly however he was grateful that Jacob was there, Nessie's fondness towards him was undeniable, and the few times she had used her extraordinary gift had mostly been towards Jacob. At first the Cullens had not believed Jacob when he had said that Nessie was communicating to him through touching his face, however she had then repeated the action on Edward and Rosalie, they had been converted. They were simple thoughts, but they had a profound impact on those she shared them with. She was also growing at an extraordinary rate, almost three times faster than an average human child.

Rosalie also had a clear connection with the child, she had always longer for children, and Nessie seemed to have picked up on her strong maternal instinct. She was also very easy to take care of, she was a resilient child who seemed to communicate what she wanted easily, even though she was only an infant. If she desperately needed something she could also show people with her talent, however she would usually wait until Jacob came to her before using her gift. This never took long, as Jacob only left her alone to go to the bathroom and sleep, even then he only rested when he was completely exhausted and would practically pass out somewhere in the house. In these instances Rosalie would take over immediately, and the two often bickered over whose turn it was to hold Renesme. The only time they easily handed over Renesme was when Edward asked to hold her, even Jacob sympathized with him, even though he had been the one to turn Bella into a monster (he had yet to voice this opinion as he wasn't sure what place there would be left in Cullen house if he did).

As for the rest of the Cullen family, tension was high. Jasper spent very little time in the house, often disappearing without a trace for hours on end. When he was around he either fought with Edward or Alice over his current temperamental attitude. The fights with Edward were the worst, as Edward would suddenly snap in response to a harsh thought of Jasper's. The two now completely avoided each other, and Jasper had also made it clear that he was trying to avoid Alice as well. This made Alice prone to locking herself in her room, and when she surfaced she would usually be in a foul mood, which was very unusual for the bubbliest member of the family. The constant rejection from her mate and Bella had left her bitter, and not even seeing Renesme could cheer her up. The only thing that left her with any hope was the vision she had had so long ago, of a happy red eyed Bella. Edward had seen this, and had reminded her that futures changed, however she refused to give up just yet.

Esme had been uncharacteristically quiet over the week, aware that the entire family were walking on eggshells, or rather broken glass. She had tried to maintain her role as positive leader, but most of her reassurance fell on deaf ears.

Emmet had also been feeling rather ignored, as Rosalie spent all of her time with Renesme, or watching others with Renesme. She refused to let Emmet hold Renesme, her protective instincts getting the better of her. This left him with more time to himself then ever, and he often found himself following Jasper's example and disappearing mysteriously. His greatest disappointment however would come after these trips, when he would return to discover that no one had noticed he had ever left.

Carlisle however had been rather busy. Firstly he had to take care of the human that Bella had attacked. He had discovered his name to be Ben Stouton, a local avid rock climber. To draw attention away from the Cullens he had dropped Ben from a short height, and left him to be found by park rangers. Of course he had made sure that this had all occurred in a frequently visited part of the park so the man did not have to wait long for medical attention. According to all records Ben Stouton had fallen while rock climbing and sustained a minor concussion. He had also likely been bitten by a cayote or similar animal on the neck while unconscious, but this "minor" wound was hardly noted. He was treated while Carlisle was off duty, and there was no way to draw any connection between him and the Cullen family, or Bella. He had fully recovered, but was now more wary around people who "gave him the creeps". Carlisle had informed Bella of his stable condition, and had noted her lack of concern or empathy. He became increasingly more worried about her tendencies and decisions. Whenever vampires are turned they do feel some level of detachment with the events that occurred in their human life, but Bella seemed to be showing no interest in Edward or Renesme. Carlisle had thought she would have felt a strong maternal instinct towards her daughter, and had even theorized that this would help her through her newborn phase. Rosalie instead seemed to have taken over as the role of "mother" or female presence, and every day would make it harder for Bella to switch roles with her.

Bella however was not too keen on switching places with Rosalie. It is not that Bella disliked her daughter, or didn't feel any attachment to her, but she didn't feel like a mother. She was eighteen years old, how many eighteen year olds make great mothers? Especially those who over rather a short expanse of time discovered the existence of vampires, people who shift into a wolves, and then actually became part of that supernatural world. Which was another reason Bella didn't want to be a mother. She had just been given immortal life, a powerful gift. She was going to be young forever, but instead of being free do anything and go anywhere, as promised, she had to raise a child, a child that she hardly knew. Over the past week everybody else had seen Renesme far more than her, and had made stronger bonds. Bella didn't have the first clue where to even begin with Renesme, let alone _raise_ her. In fact she didn't even know how long she was supposed to raise her for. She knew that Renesme was growing at triple normal speed, so how long would she even be alive for? And what about her special gifts? Would that change her? It was obvious she wasn't human, and nobody seemed sure whether that was a good thing or not. How do you take care of something you don't understand? She could read books or go to classes on how to be a parent, but somehow she didn't think there would be a place for her to ask whether her daughter should eat human food or drink blood. And there it was again, that word, the most important word, blood. Again Bella felt the burn in the back of her throat. Since becoming a vampire there had only been one time she hadn't felt that intense pain and longing, when she had been draining a human. When she herself was human she hadn't understood the desire to drink human blood, she thought it would be easy to be a vegetarian, but she had discovered that was not true. It wasn't only that it tasted so much better, but drinking it made her feel complete, like she was doing the one thing she had been created for. It was like she had found her meaning in life. She also didn't seem to care that it would kill people for her to feel such power.

It wasn't that she was devoid of all feeling, although it did seem like she was numb to emotion now, aside from anger, that came frequently, but she noticed that she didn't feel guilty about wanting to kill, about not wanting to be around her daughter, husband or even her father. She felt dethatched from those people, and they had become more of a hassle than anything. Charlie could just think she died, or she could see him and tell him that she was leaving forever and he would never see her again. She had memories with her family, but she felt like a voyeur watching someone else's life. Then there was Edward.

She remembered everything that had happened between them, every intense, heart wrenching moment. She could _remember_ being in love with him, but that wasn't how she felt now. It was like that part of her died when she did, and would never come back, and she didn't want it to. At first she had thought that the feeling would return, and she could tell that Edward still loved her, she was his "mate" after all. When "mates" were explained to her, Bella had thought it was always a two way thing, but she had since discovered that even though Edward would go to the ends of the Earth for her, she found it boring to even have a conversation with him. She also found that she hated him a little bit.

Not for turning her of course. Bella had always wanted to be a vampire, well, since she had discovered they were real. It really was the most precious gift she could imagine, but Edward hadn't given her the forever she was looking for. She was supposed to have eternity with her "mate", the person she loved more than anyone in the world, in all of existence, instead she was stuck with the guilt of trying to deal with a love sick drama queen. Bella had loved Edward though, and so it would make sense that when she was turned she would love him back, and they would live happily ever after, but he shouldn't have been so stupid. There was no way as a human that Bella couldn't have been completely enchanted by Edward. It was exactly as Edward had said when he had first explained vampirism to her, they were beautiful, powerful and perfect, it was impossible for any human not to be in awe of them. They held something no human could posses, but every single one wanted. Everybody wants to cheat death, or have another chance at life. Being a vampire you get eternity to be young and beautiful, and if your life is terrible, you get to start again, a second chance. Every girl in school had been completely in love with Edward, not just Bella, she was just the only one he loved back.

But once she had been turned, all of that had become normal. She had marveled over his perfection, his abilities, his grace, but that was all part of her world now, there wasn't anything that drew her to him anymore. So she just felt bored when she was around him. And angry. She was also angry for a perfectly mundane reason, because he had knocked her up. Eternity to be young, and a teenage Mum. She was not ready for a child, or even marriage! What hundred year old expects a barely legal teenager to be ready to get married and have a child! She now wished that Edward could hear her thoughts, just so she could yell at him without feeling the urge to become extremely violent. And who said Edward, and Renesme, wouldn't be better without her? If she didn't love Edward back then perhaps they weren't actually "mates", and it would cruel for her not to allow Edward to find his _true_ mate, and more importantly she should get a chance to meet hers. The Cullens clearly had Renesme's care under control. Rosalie was clearly a better mother than her, and she would still have her father, and Jacob, who seemed to have become uncharacteristically attached to the offspring of a vampire. She heard Edward mutter something about imprinting to Rosalie, but she hadn't though much about it. If Jacob had imprinted on her then Renesme would always have him to take care of her. Renesme had a family of vampires, and a wolf taking care of her, why did she even need Bella? Plenty of kids have single parent homes, her family's already pretty messed up, surely Bella being gone wouldn't make much of a difference. And the Cullens could always tell Renesme that Rosalie was her mother. She already acted like it, and had always wanted to be one, she would also be much better at it then Bella. Bella had never wanted kids, if she had she wouldn't have wanted to become a vampire straight away, she always knew they were _supposed_ to be infertile.

So Bella, consciously or not, had already come to a decision, it was just a matter of time before she would leave the Cullens, her daughter, family, friends, and all of Forks behind.


	3. Dsicussions

**Discussions**

Carlisle had noticed the lack of control he had over his coven. He had always been a strong leader, first in the Volturi, and then with his own coven, but recent distractions had wavered his focus. He knew he needed to call a meeting for his family before they fell apart, and he knew this needed to happen as soon as possible.

Carlisle had to wait three hours before all of the members of his family were present. Jasper and Emmet had left separately at some point during the day, and Edward had gone hunting with Bella, Rosalie and Alice. This left Jacob with Renesme, which of course he was delighted about. Jacob had discovered that Renesme's favourite game was peek – a – boo, and her new favourite toy was the wolf he had gotten her on one of the few occasions he had briefly left the Cullen house. As all of the Cullen's started to arrive at their house Carlisle had suggested that Jacob spend some time with his pack, or with Charlie, whose daughter was "in a coma in intensive care". Carlisle new it was a meager excuse, and soon Charlie would start asking questions, but at the present moment it was all he had to offer. Eventually Jacob "agreed" to leave the house during Carlisle's discussion, after a ten minute exchange between him and Rosalie. They had actually started to trust each other, however they were both extremely possessive over Nessie, as they know both called her.

Eventually Jacob left, and sensing Carlisle's serious attitude Jasper had assembled everybody, aside from Bella, into the living room. Carlisle decided to retrieve Bella from her room, demanding her presence with the others. She eventually arrived, standing in the doorway, as far away from everyone as possible. The closest people to her where Alice and Emmet, who sat on chairs either side of the door, close to the corners of the room. On the couch closest to Emmet sat Rosalie, with Renesme in her lap, and then Edward on the other end of the couch. Esme then stood near Edward's end of the couch, and Jasper sat on a chair near her. Carlisle stood in the center of the room, ready to lead the discussion.

"You all know why we need to have this talk today. While we all knew that having a newborn vampire would change the dynamics of our coven, none of us suspected that Bella would be changed so soon, and would make such a difference." At this point Edward turned to Jasper and quickly muttered for him to shut up. "Edward, Jasper, please." Carlisle continued "I believe the main conversation that needs to occur tonight is between all of us and Bella." All of the Cullens then turned to face the vampire in question. "We understand that the vampire life is very different, and we want to talk to you about making your transition easier. Of course I think you should also speak about all this Edward separately, but I would like all of us, perhaps not tonight, to discuss you place in our family." A silence settled over the room, as every vampire thought about where they wanted Bella to fit into their coven. Alice, never being scared of voicing her opinion, spoke first.

"Look, I know things have been tense lately, but Bella we all love you" she pointedly glanced at Jasper before continuing "and we all want you to part of our family, you just need some help, and we're all hear for you, whenever your ready".

Bella almost cringed at Alice's words. Of course Alice and Carlisle had been kind and understanding. They were all being so nice, aside from Jasper, but Bella knew he had had difficulties with newborns in his past, and she could kind of see why, she was angry _a lot_. For instance, right now. She didn't want to be part of their family, so why did they have to so dam accommodating! Why did everyone have to try and make her feel special and loved, and treat her like she was some delicate… _human_! Jasper glanced up at her, sensing her growing anger.

"This should be good" he muttered just as Bella opened her mouth to speak. It was now or never, she had to be honest with them, they deserved that.

"You've all been so…" she trailed off, trying to find the right words. She wasn't a natural public speaker like Carlisle, and she couldn't just be honest about her feelings like Alice. "I want you to know that I am really grateful to all of you" she started again "but, I, this, its just… I can't do this." She finally managed to splutter out. "I'm different now, more different than I thought I would be and…" she trailed off, looking anywhere but the expectant faces in the room.

"And what?" Edward asked, his expression unreadable.

"I don't want to stay here." Bella whispered. If she were sharing a room with humans no one would even have heard her, but that wasn't the case.

"You have a daughter here! This is our home! Where would we even go? What makes you think that any of us would want to leave here?" Edward gestured wildly to himself and Renesme "I know things have been tense, but this is my home!" He shouted, fury written across his usually delicate facial features, his pent up emotions from the past week breaking through his cool demeanor.

"That does not mean it is hers" Jasper muttered. Bella took a deep, unnecessary breath before responding, desperately trying to keep her own emotions under control.

"Edward you don't understand, I don't want to stay here with you," she then looked back down at the floor "with any of you."

After a moment, Edward's eyes widened with realization.

"But we love you" he said simply "all of this… its all for you… its always been about you".

"Its been about you too" Bella responded, feeling her anger starting to build again.

"Bella it's supposed to be you and me" he glanced down at his daughter "and our daughter, all of us forever. Its so perfect, why can't it be perfect?"

"A daughter I didn't want, with a man I don't love" Bella snapped back. Edward's face fell; she had said the only two things he could ever imagine would completely crush him.

"You don't need me Edward" Bella continued, trying to be more gentle "if I don't love you, then I'm not your mate, there's someone else out there for you… and I can't be a mother, I don't know what to do, and I don't want to be another teenage mum stuff up, its better for Renesme if I leave." Bella tried to reason, however she knew her argument was weak.

"SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER OF COURSE SHE NEEDS YOU!" Edward practically screamed. She had rarely seen him lose his cool, but he was definitely letting loose now. In the corner Jasper had shrunk back into his chair, there was no way for him to try to control the emotions in the room, even if he wanted to.

Then something that proved the exact opposite of Edward's words happened, and it came from the most unlikely suspect in the room. Renesme, becoming distressed from all the yelling surrounding her had started to cling desperately to Rosalie, and then held her hand up to the blonde vampire's face, and conveyed one word, one single word. She called Rosalie by the role she had adopted, and who Renesme thought her to be; "Mama".


	4. Revelations

"Mama". Rosalie's eyes widened. Renesme made it clear the message was to her, and that she thought Rosalie was her mother. She thought of her as her mother, she had never had any reason to think any different. Rosalie had always wanted, more than anything, to be a mother. She had loathed becoming a vampire because she was now infertile, and she thought she would never be able to fill the one role she believed herself born to be. She loved Nessie like any mother would love a daughter, as she was a promise that such a thing could happen. Obviously not to Rosalie herself, but Nessie was close enough to being her own daughter, and she had, not so secretly, loved the fact that Bella was a disaster and Rosalie got to continue caring for Nessie. She had always dreaded the day that Bella would want her back, and had hoped against all odds that something would happen to Bella, and she would get to keep Nessie all to herself forever. Of course she had to share the baby with the wolf and Edward, and none of them had any idea how long she would be alive, but all the time Rosalie could get with Nessie, she would devote to her completely. So when Nessie called Rosalie her "Mama" all her life's dreams came true, in one perfect moment. To Rosalie, the rest of the world fell away during that moment, and all that mattered was that she was someone's mother.

Within a second Edward had picked up on Renesme's thought, and his anger died, and turned to devastation. He then realised that he'd already lost Bella, as the mother to his child, and as his wife, his eternal love.

"What just happened, what just changed?" Jasper demanded of Rosalie and Edward.

"What do you mean Jasper?" Carlisle asked calmly. He had suspected something like this might happen. He knew Bella would be different once she changed, and added pressures such as a daughter were a sure way to push any newborn over the edge.

"Looks like you're right Bella, Renesme doesn't need you" Edward spat bitterly "congratulations Rosalie" he said in a softer tone. He could tell how amazed she was, and even if at the moment he was filled with resentment, he couldn't find it within himself to take it out on her.

Again a silence fell over the room. Alice broke it first with a short sob, before she rushed out of the room, far away from the house, in the blink of an eye. Next Esme walked calmly out of the room, towards the kitchen. She started to cook dinner for Renesme, even though she had just been fed. Carlisle followed her, his head bent. Emmet stood up, and guided Rosalie, who held Renesme tightly to her chest, out of the room. Finally Jasper looked Bella up and down with a look of contempt, before darting out of the house. And Edward just stood there. He seemed frozen in place, staring at Bella with a look of defeat.

"I'm sorry" he eventually managed. Bella looked up in surprise, she had wanted an apology hadn't she?

"Please don't be sorry for changing me, I may not be a part of your life anymore, but you've given me so much." Edward looked up at her in astonishment.

"I am sorry for changing you. I turned you into a monster. I don't even recognize you anymore. You are not the girl I fell in love with." He responded, whilst pulling off his wedding ring. Bella felt her anger build as she responded "Maybe you should of thought about that before you got me pregnant, and then changed me. Maybe you should have just let me die. Or maybe you should never have gone after me in the first place. Then I could have been happy with a normal human life" her last words dripped with sarcasm, being a human now seemed petty to her "You were always convinced I was the weak one, even though I proved to you everyday that it was you who should have been careful. You were right, you should have stayed away from me."


	5. Departure

Belle then turned and darted upstairs, what few belongings she had she tossed into a bag. She knew that running at full speed she could be out of the state before the end of the night. She could leave and never come back, never see any of the people in this town ever again! Her temper had again returned, and she threw her things across the room like a child who didn't get their own way. She then screamed in frustration before smashing her fist through the wall closest to her. She then grabbed the doorknob, crushing it, and wrenched the door open with such force that it was ripped of its hinges. Bella then ran out of the Cullen house, practically flattening a confused Jacob who had just returned from La Push, where he had too discovered his future.

Jacob rushed into the house, fearing that something may have happened to Renseme, and was again almost toppled over by a vampire, this time it was Emmet. Shaking his head Jacob entered the house, and followed Renesme's sent into Rosalie's room. The room was also that of Emmet, but recently he had spent very little time in at, and the place had started to turn into another bedroom for Renesme. Jacob let out a relieved sigh when he saw that Renesme was completely fine. He was then pulled into a very tight, and brief hug, by Rosalie. She released the wolf almost immedeatly, and moved back to the other side of the room. Jacob stared at her, mouth open, not understanding what had just happened. He'd known that the two of them had formed a sort of mutual respect and feeling of trust towards each other, but they weren't exactly friendly. Rosalie, after regaining her composure then spoke to Jacob.

"Sorry, I am just a little… overwhelmed." A small smile played on her lips, although it disappeared once she realised she would have to explain to Jacob that Bella seemed to have left the Cullens for good. "Bella has had somewhat of a breakdown, and has decided not to be a part of our coven anymore."

The dramatic exit suddenly made more sense to Jacob, but he still couldn't comprehend how she could leave. He knew she was _different_ now, but being around the Cullens so much lately had actually started to show him that they were not in fact monsters, although some of them were still pretty creepy to him.

"She'll be back," Jacob decided aloud. Even if he didn't lover Bella anymore, Jacob still had faith her, "she has to come back." He said, looking down at Renesme.

She smiled back at Jacob, and reached her arms up to him. Jacob quickly found himself forgetting about his concern, as he looked down into her bright eyes. It was almost impossible for him to imagine anything bad ever happening to her. Rosalie stood up to hand Nessie over to Jacob, and remembering the earlier, _incident_, Jacob decided to question Rosalie as Nessie cuddled against his chest.

"So, what was with the, uh, hug?" he asked, watching Rosalie closely. A smile lit up her face, something rarely seen, as she responded.

"Nessie, she called me her Mama." She beamed at the child held in the wolf's arms.

"But your not her mother" Jacob said, his voice rising slightly. Rosalie sighed, still focused on Renesme.

"Aren't I? I know its cruel, but I am more a mother to her than Bella is. I may not have given birth to her, but I adore her like a mother loves a daughter. She has become my world, I feel like she is a part of me. You are not her parent either, yet I know you feel a similar bond." Rosalie was now looking directly into Jacob eyes with a fierceness that could only be possessed by a powerful vampire.

"That's different, it's a –"

"A wolf thing, I know. And this is a female thing." Jacob could see her point, he already knew that she was good for Nessie, there was a clear bond, and Jacob knew that Rosalie would do _anything_ for Nessie.

"I know. I'm sorry, its just happening so quickly. I used think vampires were just cold killers, who couldn't feel love, but now…" he looked up at Rosalie again, "you do make a great mother."

"And you make a good guard dog." Rosalie replied, and then laughed. It was sound that not many had ever heard, and Jacob noted that it suited her. Perhaps it even made her look beautiful, but Jacob had found himself unable to look at anyone in _that_ way since Nessie was born. Although he only felt protective, parental feelings towards her at the moment, he understood that one day, when she was _much_ older they would be together.

"She is lucky to have you." Rosalie eventually said, a broad smile still on her face.

"And you." Jacob replied, a smile just as wide on his face.

The trees flew past Alice as she ran, the wind bit at her skin, but she didn't feel it. Even if she were on fire she might not have felt it she was so overwhelmed. Eventually she stopped running and fell to her knees. Alice had never been weak. Sometimes people thought her to be because she was rather petite and always so bubbly. She was also always being followed by Jasper, and his presence often made it look as if she needed watching over. She had never minded this presence however, the two of them had practically been joined at the hip since they had met. Being away from him since the birth had felt like someone had poured acid over her heart just to watch it bleed. She knew that he hated newborns, and they always reminded him of his past, a rather dangerous place. He had of course been right. She had insisted that Bella would be happy, her vision seeming to prove her point, alas it seemed she had been wrong. She had been planning her eternity with a new best friend ever since her said premonition. She loved all of the Cullens dearly, but Rosalie wasn't exactly great female company, and watching her and Emmet try to have a relationship was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. They knew they were not mates, but both desired some kind of bond with someone, and so had reached a sort of compromise. Behind her she heard footsteps, and she could already tell it was Jasper.

As soon as he had left the house he had gone after Alice. At first he had just been running aimlessly, not even realising that he was following his mate's scent. He did not however try to stray from this path once he had discovered who he was following. No matter how frustrated he had felt over he past week, he still _needed_ Alice. He had been trying to stay away from her, not wanting her to see him so easily crushed. The last thing he wanted was to snap at her, and maybe even end up physically hurting her. His past, no matter however long ago had left scars not only all over his skin, but they had left him a little emotionally unstable. Memories triggered by the presence of newborns left him with unpredictable mood swings, and anger that was not usually present. The only thing that could ever calm him down was Alice, and so when he saw her on the ground in front of him he pulled her up to him, and held onto her like the world was falling away around them.

Just feeling Jasper near her again made Alice's un-beating heart clench. She held him even tighter, and stroked his hair as she felt him start to shake in her arms. Jasper may have had the power to sense emotions, but Alice could always understand what he was feeling perfectly, and as he clung to her and sobbed silently she could feel the desperation, pain and anger leaving his body. She felt tears start to collect in her own eyes, as if his pain also flowed through her own body. Eventually the two pulled away, whispering "sorry"s and "I love you"s to each other, between kisses. The two sunk back to the forest floor, vowing never to let something so small get between them again, as they proved _just_ how much they loved each other.

After hearing Bella and Edward finish their rather short fight, Emmet watched the newborn storm upstairs, and heard the tell tale sounds of anger and destruction. She then bolted out of the house, and Emmet made the split second decision to follow her. She hadn't even looked at him since her transformation, and none of the Cullens could see how _he_ could help in the current situation, but he believed he could understand Bella's situation more than any of the other members of his coven. She was fast, and he knew he would have to travel at full speed, and hope that at some point, before he got too exhausted, she would stop to feed. As he rushed after her, trusting that none of the other Cullens would notice his disappearence he almost ran over the wolf who was now more of a member of the family than he was. _He had definetly been spending more time around Rosalie than he had_ Emmet thought bitterly to himself. _She even trusts the mutt with Renesme_. His dark thoughts only drove him to pursue Bella even further. While the Cullen family seemed pretty perfect most of the time, it was hard for Emmet to stay around so many vampires who had already found their mates. He sometimes found himself speculating that every day spent with the Cullens in such secluded communities was just another missed opportunity for him. With all of eternity time should have passed quickly for Emmet, but without anyone to share it with forever had become rather daunting. It was obvious that he and Rosalie were not mates. They may have had some kind of physical chemistry, but Rosalie had extreme trust issues, and she didn't seem to trust _any_ man, and Emmet was not in any way excluded from this list. She simply tolerated him because she too felt the loneliness of eternal life, which she of course loathed. Emmet was happy that she seemed to have found some happiness with Renesme, but having the child around had only proved how little care she had towards Emmet. She had simply cut him out of her life since Bella has asked her for help with Renesme.

It was not only Rosalie who found it easy to ignore Emmet completely. As great as Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Jasper were, they all had mates, and they would often become so wrapped up in each other they would forget about the rest of the world around them. The happiness that was clearly shared between them only reminded Emmet that he was on his own. He and Edward had both shared this almost resentment towards the happiness of their "siblings", but of course this had changed since he had met Bella. Since then he had been madly in love too, and had seen it as completely acceptable to jepordise everybody else's safety so they could be together. While he understood the need to find a mate, their relationship had been very complicated from the very beginning, and Emmet hoped that his own relationship with his mate, if he ever found one, would be a little less _extreme_. Emmet did however have to be careful around Edward. Edward did not actively use his gift to search through the thoughts of the other Cullens, but Emmet did have a rather _interesting_ secret that he had been hiding ever since he joined the Carlisle's coven, and luckily his seemingly trustworthy nature had meant his _gift_ had yet to be noticed by anybody. Being away from the Cullens was already leaving Emmet with a sense of freedom, and although he didn't know how far he was going to follow Bella, or what he was going to say to her when he did eventually catch up to her, he did know that with the cool night breeze rushing through his hair he felt relieved for the first time since Renesme had been born, and he wasn't giving up this elation any time soon.


	6. Secrets

Three days, four hours, six minutes. That is how long it took Emmet to catch up to Bella. He was amazed that she didn't stop and feed sooner, but she did have a lot on her mind, and didn't know the first thing about killing humans _subtly_. She had however heard stories about the Volturi, and had probably figured out that killing humans in public was not the way to go. Bella had noticed she was being followed, and had made this clear to her pursuer. She had screamed out a few times that she wanted to be left alone, and Emmet presumed that Bella thought he was Edward, either that or someone else had also gotten her pregnant. When Bella did stop running Emmet had approached her cautiously. As reckless as he usually seemed he had enough sense not to upset an already fragile, and starving, newborn.

Belle had chosen to stop in a field. She new that eventually she would have to face whichever Cullen was following her, even if she only going to tell them to piss off. She had been running through the woods for the past few days, not at quite the speed she was used to due to her hunger, but still she new whoever was tracking her had to be rather determined. When she'd seen the clearing up ahead she decided it would be the perfect place to face off with…

"Emmet?!" Bella said as she turned to face the vampire who'd been chasing after her for three days.

"Not who you were expecting I take it?" He responded, casually leaning against one of the trees at the edge of the field.

"I..I," She stammered "Look, if you're here to take me back to Forks where I can go an learn to be the perfect little vampire then forget it!" She eventually said and turned to take off again. Before she could however Emmet moved in front of her to block her path.

"Trust me I'm not, I actually understand your situation," Bella narrowed her eyes at this "well, perhaps not completely" Emmet corrected "but about the blood… well I actually have something to admit. Here goes nothing, you see I'm not as _perfect_ as everyone thinks I am, I'm different from the Cullens. I know they think that I'm just an ordinary vampire, but I'm actually more _special_ than they realize. See I don't really like how they live. I mean I did at first, but soon living by their rules just got too difficult, too constricting, and so I started to go out and uh, discover myself, if you like. I've felt this way for a while, I guess I never really felt any different, there was never really a time I didn't want-"

"Emmet are you trying to come out?"

"What? No. Haha, guess it does kind of sound like that, but –"

"As lovely as this speech is could you just get to the point?!" Bella interrupted again, her impatience and hunger getting the better of her.

"I drink human blood." Emmet decided to say simply, he was always better at stating the facts simply, and the guilt he felt towards lying to the Cullens wasn't as evident when he put his predicament as bluntly as possible.

"What? Don't be ridiculous Emmet, I can see your eyes. If this is some stupid plan where I'm supposed to feel for your past struggles and then realize that I too want to persevere then -" Bella stopped speaking as Emmet's eyes turned from a dark golden colour to a clear bright red.

"What…?" Bella muttered, stepping closer to Emmet.

"My gift, nobody knows I have it. It took me awhile to realize that I had it. It's pretty useless most of the time, but around the Cullens it was handy." He said with a chuckle.

"I had no idea…"

"That's the point."

"Wait, so you've been feeding off humans this whole time?" Bella asked, shock still clear in her voice.

"No, not all the time. It's hard to get a moment to yourself between _school_ and the _family_. But lately, when everyone was busy watching you, I got a few chances to slip away."

"Glad to be of use to someone. Why did you stay with the Cullens for so long?"

Emmet shrugged his shoulders

"Easier I guess."

"That still doesn't explain why you came after me."

"Oh yeah," he said with a smile, his red eyes shining "Somebody needs to take care of you, and it'll be nice to have somebody to hunt with, rather than slinking off on my own. Talking of hunting, I'm starving, you?"

If Edward could die he felt that this would have killed him. Half of him wanted to run after Bella while the other half wanted to wither away in a deep dark pit somewhere. He couldn't decide whether he loved or hated Bella now, but he supposed that those two emotions were often intertwined. After Bella had left he had stood perfectly still for some time until Carlisle had come and lead him to his room as if he were some kind of brain dead zombie, which is how he'd been acting for the past three days. He hadn't left his room, and he had again found himself wishing he were able to sleep so he could pass some time without constantly thinking about Bella, and Renesme. He knew he should go to his daughter, try to parent her, but he couldn't bring himself to even feed, let alone care for his offspring. There was also the added pressure that Renesme always reminded Edward of Bella, which he could not handle at the moment. Luckily Rosalie and Jacob could easily take care of "Nessie", and he knew from reading their thoughts that she was absolutely fine, at least for now. He still had to find out more information about his daughter. He had no idea how long she would live for, or of she was even being fed the right stuff. He knew that Carlisle was working on this, using the various contacts he had established throughout his long life, so this left Edward with a little less to worry about. He wondered if it wasn't for Renesme whether he would still choose to be alive. He had tried to kill himself when he thought Bella was gone the first time, and he wasn't sure if it was better or worse this time. Better because at least she wasn't gone forever, worse because he had turned her into a monster that hated him and their child and wanted to hunted humans. He sighed and sat down with his head in his hands. He knew that staying in his room, hungry, was driving him a bit mad. He kept on having the same thought processes over and over again, and he hadn't come to any kind of decision or epiphany. He was still just as confused, lost and hurt as he had been when Bella first left.

"And who is the most beautiful little princess in the entire world? Yes, that's right, yes you are! Oh yes you are, yes you a – "

"You right there mutt?"

Jacob turned around to face the blond vampire who was now looking at him with a rather amused expression. Rosalie was now smiling more than she ever had since being a vampire, and seeing a shifter baby talk at a hybrid infant never failed to lighten her mood.

"What's wrong, big bad wolf doesn't want anyone knowing he has a gooey centre?" If she had asked the same question a fortnight ago it would have been filled with malice, and Jacob would have responded with just as much disdain, but now the two shared these jokes happily.

"Hmmm, maybe the _alpha_ should be protecting the baby from an evil bloodsucker?"

"Maybe the _alpha_ should be with his pack?"

"Alpha means I make the rules, and guess who has plenty of time to spend with his favourite girl in the whole wide world?"  
"As flattered as I am Jacob, its time for Nessie to be fed, and I'm pretty sure shifters are supposed to sleep."

"Haha, fine, I'll sleep, but you have to promise to do the next nappy duty for me."

"And I thought you admitted the worst stench imaginable…" Rosalie responded as she took Nessie from Jacob. Jacob gave the baby one last smile before heading home to get some sleep.

Jacob was becoming used to sharing a house with vampires, but he was still a little on edge around some of them, and so he slept better at home. He also had to return home more now because he was the alpha of his pack. He was born a natural leader, and even though he had given over his position to Sam briefly, the pack still new that one day he would again be reclaim his title. The night that Bella had run away, before he had returned to the Cullen house, Sam had pulled him aside, saying they needed to speak in private. After Bella had been turned the treaty had technically been broken, yet the wolves had not acted for two reasons. The first one being Jacob, and his close connection with Bella, and the other being that Bella was going to die if she was not turned. Some of the wolves did not actually believe this to be true, but Jacob had seen Bella before the birth, and she had not looked healthy, so he believed Carlisle when he had told him that she was going to die anyway. Over the past week and a half Jacob had also learned that Carlisle only turned people of they were on the brink of death, and so it would make sense that he would not let Edward turn Bella unless she had no chance of survival. Jacob had also been reminded on various occasions before Bella was turned that Edward did not want her to become a vampire.

The pack had instantly discovered that Jacob had imprinted on Renesme, and they were sure that if they were to kill her mother that Jacob would not be pleased, so they had remained rather quiet about the whole matter. Most of the pack was also curious about how Sam would react, as now their decisions seemed to be revolving around what Jacob thought and felt, so it made sense that shortly after Bella was turned he and Sam had a serious discussion about who was really alpha. Sam, as always, was practical and civil, reminding Jacob that he had always know alpha was temporary position for him, and that it was Jacob's role, not his. Jacob had accepted, realising that now he was facing more pressure than ever, and having a wolf pack behind him couldn't hurt. As alpha he had decided right away that the pack was not going to act upon the treaty, as no one had been hurt. Well, aside from whoever's blood was all over Bella's face on the first day since her change, but not even Jacob knew who that blood belonged to, but he was reassured that the person had not died. Again, he had trusted Carlisle's words, and as the person was rushed through the house he had heard a steady heart beat. Since the Cullens had had little choice in turning Bella, and they had been keeping her under control, the wolves would not intervene.

The night that Bella had bailed Jacob had run straight to his pack, telling him that their biggest problem, a newborn vampire, had just skipped town. Seeing as she was no longer in their territory, she was no longer a threat, and for the meantime their issues seemed to have disappeared. Since Bella's departure the wolves had been more relaxed, as there were now no humans mixing with vampires. The Cullens had "graduated" so they hardly even went into town anymore, and Carlisle had even taken time off work for "family time". Renesme intrigued the pack, and there was talk about taking her away from vampires, but from Jacob's thoughts they could tell that she wasn't in any danger. Generally the pack did not talk about the hybrid, and they all understood that once a wolf imprints, there is no changing their mind, and so they had learnt to accept Jacob and Renesme's relationship, even if he was simply a care giver / parental figure at the moment.

As alpha, Jacob knew that he should be spending more time with his pack, but with things being so quiet he wasn't required most of the time, and he was trying to come home more often. At first he had been sleeping in the Cullen house, but he was now returning home at night and for most meals. Being at home, around his father reminded him of another problem that needed to be faced, Charlie. As far as Bella's father knew, she was still in a coma in intensive care. Once he had come home in the early hours of the morning to find Charlie at his house. Charlie had been talking to Billy, who had eventually fallen asleep. When Charlie caught him sneaking in, Jacob had said that he'd been going out to get "fresh air because he was also stressed about Bella". It wasn't exactly a lie, but Jacob still felt bad for lying to Charlie, who was looking worse and worse each day. One day he would have to be told that Bella was dead, and Jacob didn't know if Charlie could handle discovering that his only daughter was gone forever.

He had never had children himself, but he did often feel as if some of the Cullens, especially Edward were close to having his own offspring. Carlisle had become Edward's emotional support after his transformation, and his younger age, even if he was considered to be well into adulthood at the time, led him to depend on Carlisle as a replacement parental figure. Carlisle however recognized that this relationship was completely different to the one that is, or rather was, shared by Charlie and Bella. Over his extended life Carlisle has seen greif manifest itself in everyway possible, and yet the worst he had seen was that of a mother who had lost her child. He remembered the once happy and joyeuos woman becoming a pit of despair and hopelessness by his second meeting with her. Yet she still had that spark, he was sure he could sense it, and after her transformation he saw it again. Perhaps it was not possible for a mortal parent to ever live without their child, but the renewal of Esme's spirit gave him some faith in Charlie's recovery. Thinking of his wife Carlisle stared up at her, the way she pottered with such an air of confidence and content made him forget she was a vampire sometimes. While he would always see himself as some kind of monster, Esme would always be an Angel fallen from heaven to him.


End file.
